The End
by Beacon
Summary: No memories lived in the soil, and Katara could be free. Free of her past and thier journey. Maybe one day she would see her friends again, maybe one day... but not now. Now, Katara needed to forget. Post Serires fic... some Tong and a tiny smidge of Zuta


Disclaimer: I want a horse. Do I have a horse? No. No I don't. I want Avatar. Do I have Avatar? No. No I don't.

AN: Well, this is one of my more morbid-sih fics. I hope you all enjoy it, and please review and tell me what you guys think. Thanks, you're all awesome!

The End

Everything was normal. Everything was bright. And why shouldn't it be? It was a spring day, flowers blossoming in the fields and clouds of cotton floating happily in the blue sky, traveling where the wind took them without a whim. On a day like this, it was hard to imagine that just things could be bad. Things could be wrong, unjust and cruel. But Katara knew they could. Had she not seen the thousands of Earth Kingdom citizens oppressed? Had she not seen the pain all her friends went through everyday? Hadn't she been there, just yesterday, when Fire Lord Ozai had fallen at their hands? She had seen his face, it was a not a cruel face, it was soft and well defined. He did not look capable of causing pain, but everything Katara had seen on her journey had proven otherwise.

Their journey, it had started only a year ago, or could it possibly been less than that? Time had blended together and turned into a big pool of memories all scrambled together; fire, water, air, earth, children, adults, lovers, enemies, friends, foes. They were all the same, and yet all so different. But it was over, and they were going home. Over. The word rang loudly through Katara's pounding head. Could it really be over? Would she not have to worry about soldiers at their backs? Would she not have to worry about always caring enough water to be able to protect herself and her friends? Would she really not have to worry about Aang anymore? Worry about him getting captured or killed or even just separated from their tight group. Could she live without the constant fear of death hanging over her head?

She looked over her friends, her family. Had they always looked this worn down and tired? Had Toph always been so small? Had Sokka's eyes always been so dull? Had Aang ever been this quiet? Had Zuko… no Zuko wasn't here anymore. He had remained to rule the Fire Nation. Their group had lost a member, and what now? What would happen to the rest of them? Would they all stay together? Would they split and go on with their own lives? Would Toph return home to face her parents? Would Aang stay with Sokka and herself, or would he return to an Air Temple and his former life? Would Sokka get married soon, perhaps return to Kyoshi Island and find Suki again? Had Suki survived the war? Katara didn't even know the answer to that question. _What about me?_ Katara wondered. What would she do now? That was the hardest question of all, and she couldn't escape the thought. What could she do with her life? Nothing came to mind.

The silence between the friends was deafening. Toph was curled into a small ball, knees pulled up to her chest and her blind eyes squeezed shut. Her head rested against Aang's leg and he was absentmindedly running his fingers through the soft strands of hair. Every now and then, Toph gave an almost inaudible whimper and curled closer in on herself. Aang stared straight ahead, grey eyes unfocused and his mouth curved down slightly, unlike his normal self. His clothes were torn and slightly blood stained. His right arm was bandaged and hung from a sling, his fingers working slightly, testing to make sure they still could move and he hadn't completely lost the use of his arm. Sokka sat away from the others, his arms crossed over his bent legs and his chin rested upon his forearms. The gap in his shirt gave away the bandage that was wrapped tightly over a burn he had sustained a little over a month ago and had still no completely healed. At his side was his boomerang, soundly broken and beyond repair.

The Fire Nation was out of sight now, and there was nothing to see but ocean and… and a small speck of land way down below Appa. Katara did not recognize it, and she leaned over to see it clearer. She had never been there before, none of them had. Aang seemed to have spotted it as well, for he rose from his hunched position from Toph and limped up to Appa's head. "We should stop for lunch." For once Sokka did not say a word.

Appa grunted at the touch from his master and began to spiral down toward the small island. The island came closer, and it was green. Green shrubs and trees and grass. Nothing was burnt, nothing was black and rotting. No one was crying, no one was in pain. Somehow, this small island had escaped the war. Appa landed heavily on the ground and Aang slide slowly to stand beside his large hairy friend. Katara watched him extend his uninjured arm and then snapped it back to his side, his head turning to bury his face in Appa's shoulder. He had held it out for Momo, but Momo was no longer there. Katara pushed back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes as she remembered the small animal. He was now in the cold ground, one of his wings mangled and his white fur singed. His black face had been burned and when they had found him, his brilliant green eyes were glazed over by death. Of course, they had washed the blood away, and Katara had tried her best to heal the scratches over their friend's body, but it was no longer the same Momo; so full of life and mischief, the lemur who had never failed to cheer them. Sokka slide down beside Aang, helping Toph down as he did so. The young Earth bender took a moment to steady herself and take in the vibrations of the island before she turned her sightless eyes back up to Katara.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked softly. Katara slide down beside her blind friend.

"Of course." Toph gave her an attempt at a smile, but both girls knew it was fake. What was there to smile about? As the four young travelers stepped into the town, people smiled and waved. They knew what these young people had accomplished. They had ended the war, a war that had lasted over one hundred years.

"Why are they all so happy?" Toph asked softly, her bare feet padding softly against the ground, seeing what her eyes could not.

"They don't understand. They think we're heroes." Katara answered just as softly. They weren't heroes. They had stepped up when they had been needed, and they had simply ended an event. They had ended a war that killed thousands of people, but at the same time, they had killed people, they had destroyed a Nation. Were they really any better than the people they had set out to defeat? Katara wondered briefly about Zuko. How was he going to fix his Nation? They had killed its leader and left a banished prince to take control. They had left the nation in chaos, and though Zuko had promised he would be able to handle it, Katara feared for her friend's life.

Eating was last on Katara's to-do-list, but when the steaming hot plate of rice and meat had been placed in front of her, she automatically ate. Everyone was quiet, all lost in their own thoughts, and one by one, the chopsticks were placed down next to half finished plates of food. Even Sokka did not finish his. Katara glanced over at Toph, who was gently tapping her foot against the table leg, making the table shake ever so slightly so the blind girl could continue to see what was in front of her. Aang sat beside her, now only mixing the food on his plate blend together. Would any of them ever recover? The manager of the restaurant said the meal was free for the Avatar and his friends, but they still left the money. Why should they get special treatment, they were just ordinary people. The town was small and Katara wandered casually through it until she reached the outskirts. Beyond the town were hills and space, so much space. The ground was soft and kind, and did not hold memories, only promising to make new ones. Here, Katara didn't have to remember how Aang had fallen and with a sickening crack fractured his arm. Or how Sokka had dived in front of one of Azula's lightening bolts to protect Zuko when the prince first joined their small group. Sokka had been unconscious for three days, and Katara had been sure he would be paralyzed when he finally woke back up.

She didn't have to remember how Toph had been pushed from a cliff and fallen nearly fifty feet. If it hadn't been for Aang's air bending, she would have been killed, as it was, she broke both her legs and for the first time in her life, Toph had been truly blind. And here, Katara wouldn't have to remember how Zuko stood over his dead father, killed by his own hands, and when he had turned around, tears had been streaming down his cheeks.

Here, Katara could be free of her past. She could be free of painful memories and start a new life. When Aang called after her, Katara did not come back.

"Katara, come on, we're leaving." She just kept walking. She would build a small house, maybe by a stream or brook, or even on the beach. Maybe one day, Zuko would come and visit, and she could tell him how she had felt about him when they traveled together. Maybe one day she would get an invitation to her brother's wedding, or an announcement of Aang and Toph's first child. The large bison swooped overhead and she looked up to see Aang looking back at her, and she could tell he was crying. And Katara knew he understood what she needed. He understood why he needed to let his best friend go. Appa gave a low groan and Katara raised her hand to wave goodbye. Maybe she'd be able to see all of her friends again. Maybe one day…

…But not today.

Now she needed time. Now, Katara needed to live, and on this small island with no memories, she could do just that. She could be free.

Fin.

Hope you guys all enjoyed it, I guess it's a little different than most of the post-series fics, but then again, I imagine that they would have been through a lot. Please review!


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